Concord committee weighs liability, contingency plans in athletics transportation rewrite

The Concord School Board Communication & Policy Committee spent an extended portion of its June 10 meeting reviewing draft revisions to athletics and transportation policy 7.12 and discussing how the district should handle transportation when district buses or drivers are unavailable.

Erin, presenting the update, said the district is trying to balance ensuring students can get to practices and limiting district liability when transportation is constrained. She recommended removing language that said transportation would be "provided or organized by the district" and instead relying on a contingency approach when district transportation is unavailable. "We don't wanna be in the business of arranging carpools," Erin said, outlining staffs attempt to give parents information (time, place, supervision) without coordinating private transport.

Legal counsel and the district insurer (PrimeX) flagged strong concerns about contingency arrangements that would have the district screen or designate parent drivers; Erin said that screening could create secondary liability for the district. Committee members suggested clarifying the policy to list expected reasons transportation could be unavailable (staffing or mechanical issues) and to avoid broad language that could be interpreted to allow budget-based cuts to regular transportation.

Members debated whether operational details should be in the written policy or in accompanying procedures and an athletic handbook. Several committee members urged referencing the procedures from the policy so coaches and parents can find operational guidance without burdening the policy with logistics.

The committee did not vote to adopt the rewritten 7.12; staff said they would revise the draft to better marry policy and procedures and return in July with a revised version and suggested wording to address liability concerns.